Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Kaleb Johnson

Saturday, September 27, 12:52 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco will take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Week 4. Pacheco handled 10 carries for 45 yards and one catch for three yards in the 22-9 win over the New York Giants last week. The 26-year-old had a modest 4.5 yards per carry in the contest, but has only averaged 3.7 yards per carry on the season. Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have split the Chiefs backfield evenly this season, but neither back has pulled away as a favorite to handle more work. The modest Kansas City run game duo has failed to produce a rush over 11 yards in 48 combined carries this season. Pacheco has not looked the same since returning from his fibula fracture last season, and he'll need to improve his play before the Chiefs decide to make substantial changes to the run game. The good news is that Pacheco has the easiest matchup for running backs this week, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, and Pacheco could benefit from this advantageous matchup. Pacheco is ranked RB36 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, putting two spots behind Hunt and on the edge of RB3/Flex range. This could be a make-or-break week for Pacheco's role moving forward, so it will be interesting to see what he can do.

Sunday, September 28, 9:01 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson could see more involvement in the offense during Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Lead back Jaylen Warren (knee) has been ruled out for this game. That being said, Kenneth Gainwell, Johnson, and possibly Trey Sermon see bigger roles. Johnson has only seen two carries through the first three weeks of the season. However, the Steelers invested a third-round pick on Johnson, so he should start to see an increased role at some point. This seems like a prime opportunity for the Steelers to see what they have in the rookie back. Johnson is too risky to start in fantasy leagues, but is someone to keep an eye on for this early game in Dublin.